1. Field
The invention relates broadly to pallets used in shipping and storage for supporting material loads thereon wherein the loads are readily handled by conventional lift trucks and hand pallet trucks. In particular, the invention relates to pallets molded or formed from a sheet of rigid, formable material such as a plastic or polymeric material, wherein stiffening ribs are formed integrally therewith so as to extend radially outwardly from a well or depression integrally formed in the central portion of the sheet of material, and a removable load distributing insert is adapted to be received within the well or depression.
2. State of the Art
Pallets are used widely in shipping and warehousing operations. Pallets made of wood or wood byproducts have been used extensively. Wooden pallets, although being generally strong mechanically, have numerous drawbacks. Wooden pallets are heavy and cumbersome, and they are subject to wear and tear. Wooden pallets are held together with fasteners such as nails, staples, glue, etc., which may cause numerous problems in material handling. Products stored or shipped on such wooden pallets are oftentimes damaged by nails or other fasteners which withdraw or back out of the wooden members due to handling or weather conditions. The process of making wooden pallets is time consuming and, thus, generally costly. The cost of wooden pallets is further dependent upon the availability of wood or wood products. Furthermore, wooden pallets are susceptible to weathering and splintering which compromises the usefulness of the pallets.
It has been suggested to fabricate one piece, nestable-type pallets from metal, plastic, and fiber materials. Metal pallets are usually heavy and possess sharp edges or burrs on most of their surfaces. The sharp edges or burrs require the use of extreme caution when handling the metal pallets. In addition, the metal pallets are rather expensive to manufacture.
Pallets made of plastic and fiber reinforced materials generally avoid the problems and disadvantages noted above with respect to wooden and metal pallets. One notable disadvantage with prior art pallets made of plastics and fiber reinforced materials is their general lack of center load capabilities, especially when the pallets are used in rack storage wherein the pallets are supported along their peripheral sides with no support in the center of the pallet.
3. Objectives
A principal objective of the present invention is to provide an improved, one piece, lightweight, plastic pallet that has relatively strong unibody construction with increased center load capabilities, whereby the plastic pallet has rack storage capabilities, i.e., the pallet can be used in rack storage systems wherein the pallet is supported from the peripheral sides thereof. It is a further objective of the present invention to provide an improved pallet of the foregoing type that is nestable, is accessible from all sides by fork lift trucks and hand pallet trucks, is completely recyclable, and is readily and inexpensively manufactured from available plastic materials using thermo-vacuum forming and injection molding techniques.